Anderton wrote: "Although much more complex than the mental model it augments, the model might be thought of as too simple in relation to the reality it represents. In reply, it must be said that the aim is not to make a detailed 'road map' of the economy, but to pick out as a result of experimentation on the model, those quantities which determine the dynamics of its behavior. [...]" This approach differed substantially from a representational approach to modeling, which sought to replicate the complex web of relationships found in the system under study. Instead, it focused on understanding the behavior of this exceedingly complex system and identifying the key variables that had the greatest affect on economic performance. This emphasis on behavior, not representation, was congruent with Beer's general approach to modeling complexity.

— Cybernetic Revolutionaries by Eden Medina (Page 87)